Recommendations to Improve Services and Supports for Domestically Sex Trafficked Persons Derived from the Insights of Health Care Providers

Janice Du Mont; Frances Montemurro; Rhonelle Bruder; C Emma Kelly; Frances Recknor; Robin Mason

doi:10.2147/JMDH.S448037

Recommendations to Improve Services and Supports for Domestically Sex Trafficked Persons Derived from the Insights of Health Care Providers

J Multidiscip Healthc. 2024 Apr 10:17:1577-1583. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S448037. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Janice Du Mont^{1

2}, Frances Montemurro¹, Rhonelle Bruder^{1

2}, C Emma Kelly¹, Frances Recknor¹, Robin Mason^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON, M5S 1B2, Canada.
² Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada.

Abstract

Health care providers are highly likely to encounter persons who have been domestically sex trafficked and, therefore, possess valuable insights that could be useful in understanding and improving existing services and supports. In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 health care providers residing and working in Canada's largest province, Ontario. Results were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's analytical framework. Across providers, a key theme was identified: "Facilitators to improve care", which was comprised of two sub-themes, "Address needs in service provision" and "Center unique needs of survivors". From these results, eight wide-ranging recommendations to improve services and supports were developed (eg, Jointly mobilize an intersectoral, collaborative, and coordinated approach to sex trafficking service provision; Employ a survivor-driven approach to designing and delivering sex trafficking services). These recommendations hold the potential to enhance services in Canada and beyond by reducing barriers to access and care, facilitating disclosure, aiding in recovery, and empowering those who have been domestically sex trafficked.

Keywords: domestic; health care; human trafficking; recommendations; sex trafficking; social services.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the HART Foundation. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the funder.